AN: So, this is my next chapter of Adventures of the Smiling Critters! Since CatNap is now able to speak, I hope to explore DogDay and CatNap's friendship further with this new chapter! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 10
Dawn of a New DogDay
It was a silent and peaceful night at DogDay's house The hours ticked by as the leader of the Smiling Critters was finishing up writing a schedule for what he and his friends can do for tomorrow. It was easier said that done though since DogDay had to work on a lot of chores all day, leaving him little time to think of what to do for tomorrow.
The more he tried to work on his schedule, the more tired and stressed he started to get. It got to a point where he lost track of time. He could barely keep his eyes open before he let out a yawn.
"Focus, DogDay. You just need to write one more activity for 11 in the morning!" DogDay told himself.
Suddenly, DogDay's concentration was broken by an unexpected voice. "You know, it isn't good for you to stay up this late."
With a scream, DogDay was startled out of his chair by the thought that an intruder broke into his house. He looked around in a panic before taking notice of CatNap standing in front of him. Realizing that it was CatNap who spoke to him, DogDay took a moment to calm down. It had been a few days since DogDay and his friends had their latest adventure in CatNap's dream, and DogDay was still getting used to the fact that CatNap can now speak.
"C-CatNap? What are you doing in my house?" DogDay asked, still a bit unnerved by CatNap's presence.
"I came here to see if you are getting the proper amount of rest you need. Judging from your tired expression, it seems that I made the right choice in coming here." CatNap replied.
Another yawn escaped from DogDay, only proving CatNap's point even more. "Look, CatNap! I appreciate you coming all the way here, but I just have to write one more activity on the schedule for tomorrow, and I'll go to sleep after that!"
CatNap shook his head. "No, you are going to sleep now. Or do I have to take more drastic measures to make sure you get your sleep?"
Knowing exactly what CatNap had planned, DogDay took a few steps back. "Hey, don't even think about-"
DogDay wasn't able to say another word before CatNap breathed his red smoke, causing DogDay to pass out immediately. With DogDay now asleep, CatNap carried him in his arms before tucking him into his bed.
Throughout the rest of the night, DogDay slept peacefully without a care in the world. Even as the sun started to rise, DogDay was still fast asleep. A couple of hours went by before DogDay finally opened his eyes. Upon taking a look at the time, he let out a gasp before jumping out of bed.
"Oh no! I overslept, and I don't even have the last activity written down!" DogDay panicked before rushing out the house to meet with his friends. "I swear, CatNap! When I meet up with you, you're not going to hear the end of this!" DogDay growled, still frustrated with CatNap for what he did to him.
Meanwhile, the Smiling Critters waited for DogDay in a nearby grass field. They all waited for a couple of hours, but there was still no sign of DogDay. This confused everyone since DogDay seemed so excited about spending time with his friends today.
"I just don't get it." Bubba spoke up. "This is the second time DogDay kept us waiting. I hope he's okay."
Using his long tail, CatNap lowered himself down from a tree branch and replied, "Oh, don't worry about DogDay too much! He's fine! I simply made sure that he got the extra few hours of sleep he desperately needed!"
"You helped DogDay get some sleep? That was really nice of you, CatNap!" Bobby smiled. "I'm sure when he shows up, he would be very grateful for what you had done for him!"
"CATNAP!"
Bobby would soon find herself to be wrong when DogDay came rushing forward with fury in his eyes. It wasn't long before DogDay was face to face with CatNap with an angry glare, while CatNap simply gave a calm smile.
"Hello, DogDay! Enjoyed your little sleep?" CatNap asked.
"CatNap, I can't believe you did that to me! You could have just let me stay up for 5 more minutes! Now we are missing an activity from our schedule for the day!"
"What?!" Picky started to panic before she rushed over to DogDay and shook him like crazy. "DogDay, please don't tell me we are missing our lunch break from the schedule!"
N-N-No, P-Picky! It's o-one of the f-first things I w-wrote down!" DogDay stuttered, dazed from all the shaking.
"Oh. Never mind, then!" Picky immediately let DogDay go and walked away with a smile.
This caused DogDay to get dizzy before falling to the ground in a daze. He shook his head before taking notice of CatNap staring down at him.
"If you want to take another rest on the ground, don't let me stop you!" CatNap teased.
DogDay stood back up before he said, "This isn't funny, CatNap! I worked hard to plan out the day for us, and you ruined it!"
"It was for your own good, DogDay! If I let you stay up a moment later, you would have slept the whole day away! Besides, at least we are all here now!" CatNap explained.
At that moment, Hoppy looked around as she noticed that someone was still missing. "Not all of us. Kickin isn't here."
"You're right! I'll go over to his house to see if he's okay." Crafty offered.
While DogDay continued to argue with CatNap, Crafty made her way over to Kickin's house to make sure he was okay. The unicorn gave the front door a couple of knocks as she patiently waited for Kickin to answer. When she didn't get a response, she started to get concerned, so she knocked even harder.
There was still no answer, so Crafty decided to enter Kickin house to see if he was okay. As she explored the house, she could hear snoring coming from a nearby room. Curious, Crafty opened the door to the bedroom and what she saw was something she wasn't expecting. Right in front of her was Kickin sleeping on his bed as he was holding what appeared to be a toy of some kind of space man.
"Aww! So cute!" Crafty awed in joy, waking Kickin up.
"H-Huh?" Kickin looked around, confused before taking notice of Crafty. "C-Crafty?!" He then glanced at his space man before hiding it behind his back. "Uh, hey! I wasn't expecting to see you here!"
"And I wasn't expecting you to see you sleeping with your doll! It's so cute!" Crafty smiled.
Kickin rolled his eyes as he reluctantly revealed the toy once more. "Okay, first of all, Captain Galaxy is not a doll! He's an action figure! Secondly, I would really appreciate it if you don't tell any of our friends about it!"
"Why not? I think it's cute that you are sleeping with him!"
"Would you please stop calling it cute?!" Kickin took a deep breath as he took a moment to calm down. "Look, Captain Galaxy has been my favorite toy since childhood. I normally don't go to sleep with him, but I really needed someone to keep me company at night after, well, you know."
Knowing exactly what Kickin was referring to, Crafty gave an understanding nod. After what happened during their recent adventure in CatNap's dream, she couldn't blame him for feeling afraid, especially after how he and Hoppy nearly got themselves killed when facing off with Monster CatNap.
"Do you still think about the monster version of CatNap?" Crafty asked.
"Kind of." Kickin admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, just last night, I could have sworn I saw that monster crawling outside my window. Anyway, can you promise you won't tell our friends I still sleep with an action figure? I kind of have a cool guy reputation to keep!"
"Don't worry! You're secret is safe with me!" Crafty promised.
"Thanks! So, what are you doing here, anyway?" Kickin asked.
Remembering why she came here in the first place, Crafty replied, "Oh, right! Our friends have been meeting up with each other to spend time together, and you were the only one who didn't showed up."
"Wait, it's that late already?! What are we still doing here then? Let's hurry!" Kickin grabbed Crafty's hoof before dragging her out the house.
With that, Kickin rushed through the grass fields, hoping that his friends weren't too mad at him for being late. Before long, Kickin was able to meet up with his friends, but was surprised that DogDay and CatNap weren't around.
Confused, Kickin brought his attention to his friends and asked. "Hey, where are DogDay and CatNap?"
"DogDay got into an argument with CatNap and decided to move the argument somewhere else so he won't annoy us." Bobby explained before hearing the yells of DogDay in the distance. "It's not going so well so far."
Meanwhile, DogDay's argument with CatNap continued in a nearby forest.
"You have no idea what you just did, CatNap! As the leader, I have to work hard to make sure we have fun everyday, and you messed everything up!" DogDay yelled.
CatNap sighed in response. "Well, excuse me, but heading over to all 7 of your houses and making sure you are able to get the sleep you need while also giving you pleasant dreams every single night isn't exactly a cakewalk either!"
DogDay was about to argue some more before he paused at what CatNap just said. "Wait, are you saying that you sneak into our houses every night?"
"Well, yeah! How else am I supposed to keep you guys from having nightmares?" CatNap asked, acting as though what he did wasn't a big deal.
Hearing this left DogDay creeped out. He didn't even want to think about how many other times CatNap sneaked into his house.
"You do know how creepy that sounds right?"
CatNap rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure! When I sneak into my friends' houses to help them out, it's wrong, but it's perfectly fine when Santa Claus does it!"
"Well, you are not going to sneak into my house anymore! This needs to stop right now!" DogDay demanded.
At that moment, CatNap pondered what DogDay said before he thought of an idea. "Perhaps we can make a deal! If you are able to help all of our friends sleep peacefully on your own tonight, I promise to never bother you about going to sleep again!"
"And if I fail?" DogDay raised an eyebrow.
"Then you would have to go to sleep whenever I say so every single night, no matter how early!"
Pondering this decision, DogDay knew that if he got this over with, CatNap won't bother him again. He would be able to finish his duties as leader without anyone interrupting him.
"Alright, it's a deal!" DogDay held out his paw in a handshake. "But I'm only doing it this one time so you would leave me alone!"
At that moment, CatNap took DogDay's paw before giving it a shake. Suddenly, CatNap reached for his crescent moon pendant and took it off before placing it around DogDay's neck.
"Then congratulations, DogDay! You are now the new CatNap!" CatNap grinned.
To make up for the amount of time they lost, DogDay tried to come up with as many activities to do with his friends as possible. As much as he wanted to spend all of the activities he had planned with everyone, the day sped on by and before he knew it, the sun began to set.
With the day over, the Smiling Critters returned to their homes to relax. The hours ticked by before night fell and everyone in the village decided to get some sleep. That was when CatNap decided that it was time to head over to DogDay's house and instruct him on his new responsibilities. The purple cat made his way to Dogday's house before knocking on the front door, to which DogDay answered shortly afterwards.
"Oh, good! You're here! Now I can inform you on what to do in order to help our friends get a good night's sleep."
"Why don't we just wait awhile?" DogDay suddenly said, much to CatNap's surprise.
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, CatNap! The night's still young! Besides, we don't even have any activities planned for tomorrow, and unlike some critters, I actually respect the time our friends choose to go to bed!" DogDay said.
In response CatNap gave DogDay a deadpanned stare before rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Gee! You're doing a wonderful job as my replacement already. Alright, enough talk. Time to get to work."
Before DogDay could say a word, CatNap grabbed him by his tail, dragging him into the darkness of the night. Throughout the walk, DogDay impatiently tapped the tail he was wrapped in, wanting nothing more than to let his friends stay up a little longer. It wasn't long before CatNap suddenly stopped in his tracks and released DogDay from his tail. As he looked around, DogDay realized that he and CatNap were in front of Picky's barn.
"Perhaps we should check on Picky first." CatNap suggested as he led DogDay to Picky's barn.
The two of them approached a nearby window to see Picky sleeping in her bed. Upon seeing Picky fast asleep, DogDay decided to check in on the rest of his friends.
"Looks like Picky is sleeping peacefully! One friend down, five to go!"
DogDay turned to leave, only to get pulled back by CatNap's tail.
"Not so fast, DogDay! You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you? Why don't you take a closer look?" CatNap brought DogDay's attention back to Picky.
As DogDay took a closer look, he realized that Picky has been tossing and turning in her bed. Judging from Picky's terrified expression, DogDay could only assume that she was having a nightmare. Without a word, CatNap slowly opened the window before leading DogDay in the room.
They both sneaked through the room, careful not to wake Picky up. As they got closer, they were able to hear her speak in her sleep.
"No. No. We forgot to bring food for the picnic We're all going to starve." Picky muttered in her sleep.
"Alright, DogDay. Since this is your first time dealing with our friends' nightmares, I will show you how you can prevent them."
The purple cat then moved to the side of Picky's bed before breathing a tiny bit of red smoke to calm her down.
"Shh. The food is not gone." CatNap whispered.
"I-It's not?" Picky asked, still asleep.
"No. You have all kinds of wonderful snacks to eat, each one tastier than the last."
As CatNap said that, Picky drifted into a more pleasant dream as she began chewing on her pillow.
Surprised by what he saw, DogDay turned to CatNap and whispered, "How did you do that?"
"I used the red smoke to change Picky's nightmare into a pleasant dream. Now, she'll spend the rest of the night, thinking she's eating her favorite meals!" CatNap explained.
"Wow, you're good! I'm just glad that Picky gets to enjoy her wonderful dream!" DogDay smiled.
However, DogDay didn't whisper quietly enough in that moment and Picky began to stir awake. She gave a yawn before looking around her room, confused.
"Wh-What? What's happening?" Picky asked, still half asleep.
In a panic, DogDay cradled Picky in his arms before rocking her to sleep while singing a lullaby.
"Go to sleep. Go to sleep." DogDay attempted to sing in a soothing tone, but it came out as more stressed instead.
Despite that, the sound of DogDay's lullaby lulled Picky back to sleep as she continued to chew on her pillow. After giving a sigh of relief, DogDay followed CatNap out of Picky's room before the two of them made their way to the next house.
For their next stop, DogDay and CatNap decided to visit Kickin to see if he was having any nightmares. Just like with Picky's barn, the two of them sneaked in through the window to see Kickin sleeping in his bed. Although, DogDay was surprised to see Kickin sleeping with some kind of toy in his arms. As curious as he was about it, DogDay decided not to think too much about it as he approached Kickin's bed. Here, he was able to hear Kickin speak in his sleep.
"N-No. No. Come on, guys. Captain Galaxy isn't that embarrassing. Please, stop making fun of me!" Kickin muttered.
"Looks like Kickin is having a nightmare as well." CatNap noticed. "Go ahead, DogDay! Show me what you have learned!"
"Um, okay." DogDay approached Kickin before he said, "Uh, hey! Don't worry about it. You're toy isn't embarrassing at all!"
"I-It's not?" Kickin said in his sleep.
"Not at all! Only the coolest critter ever would have a toy as amazing as Captain Galaxy!"
At that moment, Kickin began to calm down from hearing DogDay's words. "You know what? You're right! I am the coolest critter ever!"
Suddenly, Kickin raised his fist in the air in victory. This ended up taking DogDay by surprise when Kickin accidentally punched him in the face.
"Ouch!"
The impact of the punch caused DogDay to stumble backwards before tripping over a bunch of Kickin's sports equipment. Startled by the noise, Kickin woke up from his bed, realizing that DogDay was in his room.
"D-DogDay?! What are you doing here?!" Kickin asked before glancing at the toy in his arms. In a panic, Kickin brought his attention back to DogDay to explain himself. "I swear, this isn't what it looks like!"
Now that Kickin was awake, DogDay started to panic as he desperately tried to think of a way to fix this. It was at that moment when DogDay turned to CatNap in hopes that he would have the answer.
"CatNap, what should I do?"
"Oh, that's easy! All you have to do is use the red smoke to put him back to sleep!" CatNap answered.
"I can't breathe red smoke like you do!" DogDay pointed out.
"Hmm, you're probably right about that. If you can't even breathe red smoke, why did you even agree to this bet in the first place?" CatNap teased with a smug grin, much to DogDay's annoyance.
Desperate for a way out of this, DogDay looked around the room before noticing a baseball bat by his feet, giving him an idea. As much as he didn't want to do this, he knew it was the only way to get Kickin to got back to sleep.
Grabbing the bat, DogDay gave Kickin an apologetic glance. "Kickin, I'm really sorry about this. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
"W-Wait! What are you doing with that bat?!"
Before Kickin could say another word, DogDay rushed towards him and bonked him on the head, knocking him unconscious. Now that Kickin was asleep once more, DogDay panted heavily while CatNap took a few steps forward towards the unconscious Kickin.
"Hmm, a bit unconventional, but you still managed to get Kickin back to sleep. Well, time to move on to the next house!" CatNap casually walked away, as if nothing happened.
With that, DogDay followed CatNap into the evening night once again, now feeling more tired than ever. He had only been through two houses, and he already wanted this night to be over.
"Isn't as simple as it seems, is it?" CatNap asked, noticing DogDay's tired expression.
"Hey, you worry about yourself! I was able to help Kickin get to sleep even without your red smoke!" DogDay said.
"Perhaps, but if you had the ability to breathe red smoke like me, you would have been able to control everyone's dreams, and you would have been done by now." CatNap pointed out.
It was at that moment when CatNap's words began to sink in as DogDay suddenly realized something. He soon stopped in his tracks, leaving CatNap walking ahead of him. Once he noticed that DogDay was no longer following him, CatNap turned around to see DogDay glaring at him.
"CatNap, if you are able to control the dreams of our friends with the help of the red smoke, were you able to use it to control our friends' nightmares as well?" DogDay asked in suspicion.
CatNap let out a sigh as he knew that DogDay wasn't going to like the answer. "If you are referring to the time where CraftyCorn had a horrible nightmare back when she overwhelmed herself with her paintings, then yes. That was me."
Hearing this infuriated DogDay. Thinking back to what he heard happened in Crafty's nightmare, he could only imagine how traumatizing it was. Letting his anger get the better of him, DogDay grabbed CatNap and pinned him to a tree. Despite that, CatNap still remained calm while DogDay growled at him in anger.
"What is wrong with you?! Do you have any idea how much you traumatized Crafty with that nightmare?! You made her think we would abandon her! She nearly drowned in an ocean of paint, for crying out loud!"
Using his long tail, CatNap pushed DogDay back slightly to free himself from his grip. "DogDay, you need to understand that I did what I had to do. A nightmare was the only way to convince her to get over her obsession with her paintings. I did it for her own good."
"That doesn't make it right. You think that you know what's best for everyone, but we don't need you interfering with our dreams!" DogDay yelled.
"As long as I know I can help everyone, I will never stop interfering with your dreams."
Knowing that he couldn't get through the CatNap, DogDay let out a frustrated sigh before glaring at him in anger. "I think I liked you more when you were the silent critter of the group."
In response, CatNap simply crossed his arms with a calm grin. "Too bad! You're stuck with me now! Now, let's go! There are still more friends we need to make sure go to sleep."
Reluctantly, DogDay followed CatNap to the next house. "Fine, but I'm only doing it to get it over with."
A couple of hours had went by before Kickin woke up from his bed with a start. After the blow to the head he received earlier, he struggled to remember what happened. It was at that moment when he thought back to the nightmare he had before he took a glance at his toy.
"Man, Captain Galaxy. That was a pretty bad nightmare. I wish there was someone I could tell about it, but no one is supposed to know about you." Kickin paused for a moment before he realized that Crafty found out about his toy just this morning. "You know, I think I could really use some advise. Wait right here, Captain Galaxy! I'll be right back!"
At that moment, Kickin jumped out of bed before rushing over to Crafty's castle tower. He gave the front door a couple of loud knocks in hopes that Crafty would be able to hear him all the way from the top of her tower. A few moments went by before Crafty opened the door in a sleepy daze. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves as she gazed at Kickin in confusion.
"Kickin? What are you doing here?"
With a nervous smile, Kickin replied, "Hey, Crafty! How are you? What have you been up to?"
Crafty gave Kickin an annoyed glance in response. "Sleeping. It's 3 in the morning. Why did you wake me up so early?"
Kickin gave a defeated sigh as he said, "Okay, I'm going to give it to you straight. I just had a nightmare where all of our friends made fun of me for owning the Captain Galaxy action figure. I think I also had a strange dream where DogDay broke into my house and knocked me out with a baseball bat, but never mind that! The point is that I got really freaked out, and I could really use your advice on what I should do about Captain Galaxy."
With a yawn, Crafty replied, "Maybe you should just tell our friends the truth about Captain Galaxy! I'm sure they would understand!"
Kickin shook his head. "I can't! Telling our friends that I sleep with a toy is too embarrassing! They would make fun of me forever!"
"Kickin, these are our friends you are talking about! They would never be this cruel to you! No matter how embarrassing you think it is, our friends would be perfectly fine with Captain Galaxy!" Crafty explained.
"Do you really think so?"
Crafty nodded. "Of course! I'll tell you what! Why don't we go see our friends later? That way we can introduce Captain Galaxy together?"
Liking the sound of Crafty's idea, Kickin replied, "You know what? I think your right. Thanks, Crafty!"
"Happy to help!" Crafty smiled before letting out another yawn. "Well, I should get back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Kickin."
With that, Crafty closed the door before walking back upstairs to go back to sleep. As he was left alone, Kickin wondered if he would actually have the courage to show his toy to his friends.
A few hours went by before DogDay was able to check on the rest of his friends. It had been a long night, but he was ready to finally return home and finally get some sleep. As DogDay walked back home, CatNap followed DogDay the whole way back before eventually reaching DogDay's house.
"I must admit, DogDay, I'm impressed! I didn't think you could do it! Well, a deal's a deal! You don't have to worry about me bothering you again! Guess you won't need this anymore!" CatNap removed the crescent moon pendant from DogDay's neck before placing it around his own.
Once CatNap's pendant was returned, DogDay turned away from him without a word. In fact, CatNap realized that DogDay barely said a word to him since they had their argument. CatNap's grin soon dropped as he gave a sigh.
"Let me guess. You're still mad at me, aren't you?" CatNap guessed.
Exhausted from his long night, DogDay replied, "I think I'm too tired to feel angry at the moment. I still don't see how you were able to protect all of our dreams every single night."
In response, CatNap briefly looked away from DogDay, as if he was hiding something.
"Can I be honest with you? I didn't do this every night. It was only just recent." CatNap admitted.
Despite how tired he was, DogDay's eyes widened in surprise from this realization. He quickly turned around, bringing his attention back to CatNap.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"You see, ever since you and the rest of the Smiling Critters saved me from my nightmares, I really wanted to return the favor and get rid of any nightmares you might be having." CatNap explained. "I looked into the nightmares of each of our friends, and what I found was a lot worse than I thought. Everyone had nightmares of what happened during our last adventure. That monster version of me, the Ruined Critters, and Alternate DogDay's death."
A chill ran down DogDay's spine as he thought back to the death of his new friend. Even he couldn't help but have nightmares of that horrific event.
"You still think about Alternate DogDay, do you?" DogDay asked.
CatNap nodded. "All the time. Everything was my fault. Alternate DogDay's death and the trauma our friends received from that nightmare. I wanted to fix our friends' nightmares and turn them to happy dreams, but I only ended up making everything worse."
It was a surprise to DogDay that CatNap went through all this trouble for his friends.
"CatNap, I know had no idea. Listen, you don't have to do this anymore. I know that you were only trying to help, but this isn't the way to do it."
"Then what is the way?" CatNap asked. "How can I possibly make up for the pain I caused our friends?"
"Well, that's simple. All you have to do is be there for them." DogDay answered. "It's true that we went through a lot during our last adventure, but we'll be able to get through this. We can get through anything because we have each other."
It took a moment for CatNap to let DogDay's words sink in. Despite nightmares the Smiling Critters endured, they were still able to find joy and happiness in being with each other.
"I understand. Thank you, DogDay." CatNap thanked, earning a smile from his friend. "Well, I believe I kept you up long enough. I'll leave you alone so you can get your sleep."
"Alright, goodnight, CatNap!" DogDay waved goodbye.
"Sleep well, DogDay." CatNap smiled before turning to return home.
As DogDay watched CatNap leave, he decided to finally get some sleep after a long night. Once he entered his bedroom, DogDay collapsed on his bed before he slept the night away.
A couple of days had went by since Crafty agreed to help Kickin face his fears. Since the Smiling Critters were supposed to meet up with each other today, Crafty thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get Kickin to open up about Captain Galaxy. The closer they got to the new meeting place, the more nervous Kickin started to get. He took a glance at the box Captain Galaxy was in with the thought of facing his friends being too much to handle.
Upon noticing how nervous her friend was, Crafty tried to assure her that everything would be alright. "Don't worry, Kickin! I'm sure our friends would love your doll!"
"Again, he's an action figure." Kickin corrected. "Look, Crafty. I appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but I don't think I can go through with this. Maybe I should go back home and forget this ever happened!"
"Too late! Our friends are already here!" Crafty pointed out as it was revealed that they were already at the meeting spot.
Once he realized that his friends were just a few feet away, Kickin started to freak out. Clutching the box in his arms tightly, all he could think about was how much his friends would point and laugh at him for owning a kids toy.
"Right, I can't do this! I'm out of here!" Kickin turned to leave, only for Crafty to stop him.
"Kickin, wait! You've come too far to give up now!" Crafty reached for the box in Kickin's arms before yanking it away.
Unfortunately, Crafty ended up pulling it away a little too hard, causing the Captain Galaxy toy to fly out of the box and into the grass right by the Smiling Critters' feet. The sight of his precious toy on the ground caused Kickin to rush towards it in a sprint before carrying it in his arms, as if it has his child.
"It's okay, Captain Galaxy! I'm here now! I won't let anything bad happen to you!" Kickin spoke to his toy in a comforting tone.
Suddenly, Kickin paused when he realized that his friends had been watching him this whole time.
"Is that some kind of spaceman?" Hoppy asked, noticing the toy in Kickin's arms.
With a gulp, Kickin stood back up, wanting nothing more than to run back home.
"Oh, Crafty. Please tell me this is just another nightmare." Kickin hoped.
"Uh, don't worry, Kickin! Just let me handle this!" Crafty approached her friends. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Kickin's toy, Captain Galaxy. He has been protecting Kickin from nightmares of our recent adventure last night, so please don't judge him for it. He really needs comfort from his doll."
"Action figure." Kickin corrected once more in a defeated tone.
At that moment, Bubba approached Kickin to get a better look at his toy. "I can't believe you had a Captain Galaxy toy this whole time and you never told us! I loved watching his tv show when I was little!"
Hearing this surprised Kickin. He spent this whole time worrying that his friends would make fun of him, but they seemed to be perfectly fine with his toy.
"Y-You mean you're not going to make fun of me?"
"Make fun of you? Why would we do that?" Picky raised a confused eyebrow. "You like your toy, and that's all that matters!"
"Besides, Captain Galaxy does look pretty awesome!" Hoppy smiled.
"And you have nothing to feel embarrassed about! We know that you have been coping with what happened. In fact, we have all been coping in our own way." Bobby explained. "Just remember that we are all in this together! You are never alone!"
Touched by his friends words, Kickin replied, "Thanks for being so cool about this, guys! You're the best!"
"See? I told you our friends would understand!" Crafty said with a smile.
At that moment, the Smiling Critters surrounded Kickin, each of them eager to learn more about his toy. As everyone asked questions about Captain Galaxy, CatNap took a glance at Crafty before feeling a pang of guilt. After what he did to Crafty, he felt it was time to make amends. This didn't go unnoticed by DogDay as he saw CatNap walk away.
"CatNap? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to make everything right." CatNap gave a vague answer.
While everyone was distracted, CatNap gave Crafty a tap on the shoulder.
"Crafty, I know that this is a bit unexpected, but may I have a word with you in private?"
"Um, sure, CatNap." Crafty replied, wondering what CatNap wanted.
It was at that moment, when CatNap led Crafty away from the others, leaving the two of them alone. As she noticed a look of guilt on CatNap's face, she could tell that he really wanted to talk about something important.
"Listen, Crafty. I just wanted to apologize for the nightmare I gave you back when you were struggling to take a break from your paintings. I now realize that I went too far. I know that I had good intentions with giving you the nightmare, but I still hurt you in the end. I'm sorry."
The unicorn gazed at CatNap in silence, processing what she just said to him. While she would admit that the nightmare helped her out, it still ended up terrifying her. Judging from her silence, CatNap could only assume that Crafty was still mad at him, but was taken by surprise when she suddenly embraced him in a hug.
"Thank you, CatNap! It's true that I was scared, but I appreciate that you care for me enough to at least try to help me!" Crafty smiled.
With a smile, CatNap hugged Crafty back. "You don't have to worry anymore, Crafty! I promise I'll never give you those awful nightmares again!"
Throughout the rest of the day, the Smiling Critters had fun with each other without a care in the world. After another fun day of games and excitement, the sky started to get dark before the Smiling Critters returned to their homes.
Back at his house, DogDay started to write down some ideas for what he and his friends can do at a later date. As he looked at the clock, he noticed that it was getting late, so he decided to head to bed and focus on his ideas tomorrow.
Right when DogDay was about to go to bed, he heard a knock on the door. Curious with who would be knocking at this time, DogDay opened the door to be greeted by a familiar purple cat.
"CatNap? What are you doing here?"
"Good evening, DogDay I know that I shouldn't be bothering you, according to our bet, but I was just wondering if you might be willing to stay up a little later so I can help you with coming up with activities for our friends." CatNap offered.
Grateful for the offer, DogDay replied, "You know what? Let's forget about the bet! I really appreciate the help! Although, let's try not to stay up too late! We all need our sleep after all!"
CatNap chuckled. "Alright, deal!"
With that, DogDay let CatNap in his house as the two of them began to think of new activities to do with the Smiling Critters. No matter what ideas they think of, DogDay was happy as long as he got to spend time with his friends.